Labor and union hacks squabble over spoils

Labor soul searching over its rout in last weekend’s West Australian election ought to heed Peter Watson, who could end up being the party’s sole WA member outside Perth. As reported in The Australian Financial Review on Tuesday, the former ­newsagent owner and postal worker complains that “party hacks and union officials’’ have captured Labor, including for parliamentary pre-selection.

But Labor shows no interest in this home truth because its party hacks and union officials are too busy fighting over the jobs for the boys and girls, this time over the WA Senate spot vacated by
Chris Evans
, himself a former party hack and union official. Senator Evans’ former United Voice union is pushing for one of its officials to take the spot. The left-wing amalgamation of the old “miscos’’ and liquor unions looks to be trying to do a deal with the right-wing shop assistants’ union that may put two of their officials into the Senate while forcing out former shoppies’ head, Senator
Mark Bishop
. Even disgraced former WA premier
Brian Burke
is getting involved.

But, as Mr Watson complains, Labor needs more genuine representatives of the community, not labour movement hacks who think they have a God-given right to represent the people.